Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Hurley High School's Silver Express gathers for a photo during a recent rehearsal. From left are: first row, Tate Guenard, Skylar Traczyk, Dayanna Irons, Lindsey Dashner and Jackie Bradley; and second row, Cassie Sobrack, Raven Forys, Mackenzie Osterman-Seeley, Shay Spaulding, Devin Kelly and Cody Sobrack. The group is preparing for its annual spring concert set for April 18-20 at the school's auditorium.
By LARRY HOLCOMBE
Hurley - Hurley's Silver Express is gearing up for its annual Spring Extravaganza.
The group will perform concerts April 18, 19 and 20 at the Hurley K-12 School's auditorium. Show time is 7 p.m. They'll follow that up with a tour of a few schools in north-central Wisconsin over a coming long weekend.
Director Roy Haeger said preparations for the show are going well and the 11-member group is working hard.
He said they've got another talented group of kids involved with the group again this year. "I'm really proud of the mix of music so far as we put the show together."
There's a mix of songs from the 1960s to today, including a few that are currently on the charts, said Haeger. The current songs are always fun for the group and the audience. "It's awesome to have them sing along."
The group did about half the show - 45 minutes - last week at Washington Middle School in Calumet. Haeger said the experience of doing such a pre-show was "invaluable."
The final set list will include 18 to 20 numbers, again, a mix of tempos and eras, as well as solos and group numbers.
As in the past, Haeger said the Extravaganza is more than just students making music on stage.
"It's very much student driven and student produced," he said. "They suggest most of the songs we end up doing."
The students are also designing and running the lights and sound for the show, as well as set-up and tear-down for the coming tour. "They're designing quite a show," he said.
The members include Jackie Bradley, Raven Forys, Tate Guenard, Dayanna Irons, Devin Kelly, Skylar Traczyk, Lindsey Dashner, Mackenzie Osterman-Seeley, Cassie Sobrack, Cody Sobrack and Shay Spaulding.
Besides singing, many of the group play a variety of instruments to add to the performance.
Haeger said the tour is still being planned, but will probably include common stops at elementary schools in Arbor Vitae and the Rhinelander area.
He said the group has been well received at other schools on these tours over the years. He figures the host schools especially appreciate their concerts for the younger grades as they use the experience to build excitement about music in their schools.
This is Haeger's second year leading the group. His brother, Todd, is co-director, and has been involved in the show for many more.
